Leading for diversity, equity, and improvement at the district level of a K-12 Florida school district

What do school districts mean when they claim to value the concepts of diversity and equity in education, and how do district stakeholders truly feel about the value of such efforts within their district? The demographic nature of the United States continues to shift to reflect a more racially diverse nation than ever before, particularly with those individuals under sixteen years of age. In response, school districts are routinely seeking ways to embody and support the concepts of diversity and equity within their school campuses, for the benefit of all students. This dissertation examines how teachers, principals, and district administrators in a large Florida school district interpret, define, and feel about the concepts of diversity and equity in education. The school district, termed Sunshine Public School District, is one of the largest districts in both the state of Florida and nation. By interviewing district stakeholders in a one-on-one fashion, their opinions and definitions of diversity and equity as concepts are revealed, as is their input on the district’s 2025 Strategic Plan, of which diversity and equity are prominently featured. This qualitative research takes the form of a case study and seeks to provide Sunshine Public School District a current snapshot of stakeholder inclination towards diversity and equity, as well as offering potential insight into what can be done to make the lofty and socially-just goals of their 2025 Strategic Plan a reality.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Ovares, Steven Daniel

Contributors dc:contributor

• Pak , Yoon
• Hood, Denice
• Huang, Wenhao David
• Flores, Osly

• diversity
• equity
• Florida

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2021 Steven Ovares

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113197

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/113197